Love of Mine
by Horch
Summary: Once, there lived a girl who went crazy and a boy who lived a life full of lies. Some drabble about Finnick, Annie, and their love story.
1. I: Brave

**Hello! So, uh, because apparently, song lyrics aren't allowed on , I decided to write poetry. o_o  
><strong>**The poetry's kinda crappy, but some will be important later. ****;)**

* * *

><p>"<em>I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,<br>__I wasn't brave or tough,  
><em>_I just wasn't good enough."_

* * *

><p>A storm was raging outside. The raindrops stepped on her roof and glided down her windowpanes. The waves violently crashed against the shore, and the wind blew the leaves off the trees. Also, there was no electricity, so everything was a pitch black for Annie.<p>

The voices. The screams. The severed head of her fellow tribute. Moments in the arena played again and again, and pictures of blood pools and dead bodies floating were branded on Annie's mind. Annie couldn't take it anymore. She needed to end this somehow.

She felt her way through the hallway and looked for some rope. She found it, and tied her hands together. She headed to the door, then, she realized she couldn't open it without her hands. She used her elbows to twist the knob and open the door.

The strong winds blew against her face, howling, telling her to go back inside. Annie shut her eyes, steeled herself, and headed to the dock. She sat down on the spot she had sat on so many times before.

Annie was soaked to the bone by now, but she did not care. She stood up, feeling fearful but determined at the same time.

This was going to be her last act, her last deed. She might as well be brave about it.


	2. II: Saved

"_Everyone has a weakness,  
>I know many things, but I'm a big fool,<br>I can't save you from you."_

* * *

><p>Every time Finnick had a problem, he liked to take a walk. Especially if it was raining.<p>

Well, this was one of those times.

Finnick opened the door that led outside. He gazed intently at the trees leaning off to the side, and at the angry ocean. Should he go out in this weather? Why not? It wouldn't kill him, Finnick reasoned, and if it did kill him, well, it's not like anyone _really _cares. Those fake Capitol women would care, most certainly, but Finnick didn't care if they cared. _Mags would care, _Finnick thought. But Mags would get over it.

Finnick stepped outside tentatively, and headed to the dock. He placed his hands in his pockets and stared at the ocean, which was a murky shade of blue, not the usual sea-green shade it usually took on. Finnick wasn't surprised. It was a stormy day, and he would have been really surprised if the water was the exact shade of his eyes.

Suddenly, Finnick heard a crash. Well, not really a crash—more of a big splash. And then, he heard an ear-splitting scream. It was eerily familiar, like he had heard it many times before. Then, Finnick realized he had. It was Annie's scream!

Finnick scanned the area and spotted her, despite the dense fog that got in the way of his vision. It was pretty clear Annie was drowning.

Finnick jumped into the water. He had to save her. He had to.


	3. III: Promise

"_I'll do it, I'll make you a promise,  
>I'll make you a swear, a vow,<br>Right here and now."  
><em>

* * *

><p>Annie's eyes fluttered open, and the sight of her mentor greeted her. She flinched. "Finnick!" she said. "I-I… uh, I… where am I?"<p>

Why was she stuttering? She didn't have a crush on him… right? Right. So why was she stuttering? "Hi, Annie. You're in my house," he said quietly. The seductive purr was gone, and Finnick looked tired. What happened? Annie looked at the window past him. It was still raining hard. She couldn't go home in this weather.

"How long was I out?" Annie asked him.

"Five hours," Finnick replied. Annie looked outside again. "It doesn't look like the storm will let up soon. I'm sorry, Annie, but you're stuck here." Annie gulped. Stuck? She was stuck in the house of Finnick Odair? She shivered visibly. "You're cold." Finnick placed a blanket around her, and Annie sneezed. Finnick handed her a tissue.

"Why am I here?" Annie asked Finnick.

"I…" Now it was Finnick's turn to stammer. "I don't know, Annie. I went outside, and I saw you drowning. I had to save you. I did, and I brought you here. Please be honest with me, Annie. Why were you there, anyway?" he asked gently.

Annie paused. She couldn't hide the truth from him. It was utterly pointless. "I-I… Maybe I don't want to live anymore!" she replied in a high-pitched voice. The tears were threatening to spill out of her lashes. "M-Maybe I'm tired of all the voices that are in my head all the t-time…!" She broke down crying. She didn't want to talk anymore; she sounded like a baby.

"Annie," Finnick said tiredly. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up. He takes my hand. "Promise me you won't do that again." Annie hesitated. "Promise me, Annie."

But despite her hesitation, Annie said, "I promise."


	4. IV: Worry

"_Please don't do this to yourself,  
>It kills me when you do,<br>Because I know it kills you, too."  
><em>

* * *

><p>Finnick touched Annie's forehead. She was burning hot, and she was sneezing like crazy. He looked outside. A day had passed since Annie's… accident, and it was still raining hard. So how was he supposed to bring Annie home? The answer came to him immediately: he couldn't. Not in Annie's state.<p>

He went out to the hallway and paced. Finnick glanced worriedly at Annie, who was bedridden. He was sure that his house was rigged with cameras. What would President Snow say if he saw what was happening at his house right now?

Finnick shoved the thoughts out of his head. Now was most definitely not the time to worry about that. He would worry about President Snow's punishments later. Right now, he had only one priority: to take care of Annie. Finnick was her mentor. He was supposed to take care of her, whether she was in the arena or not.

He entered the room. Annie looked up, and Finnick saw dark circles underneath her eyes. "Annie, how are you?" he asked her.

"F-F-Fine!" Annie sneezed. Finnick handed her a tissue, and the glass of water that sat on the table. He had a feeling this was going to be a long day.


	5. V: Scream

"_I'll protect you, I promise I will,  
>I'll hold you when you scream,<br>Be it about a dream, a vision, or me."_

* * *

><p>Annie was freezing. She had a runny nose, as well as a terrible cough. Her head hurt a lot and the world spun around in circles. She shut her eyes and yearned for sleep—for her, sleep was her sanctuary. It protected her from the harsh reality of the world.<p>

Finally, she felt herself drifting off. Sleep came to her as quickly as death would come to a decapitated man.

"_Please, spare him!" Annie begged the boy from One, Linder. He held an axe over her district partner's head. "T-Take me instead!"_

"_No, Annie, no!" her district partner screamed. "Run!" Annie wasn't going to leave him. No. She had left him before, and Annie certainly wasn't going to leave him now. "Run, Annie! Please, go!" Linder pointed at Annie, whose mouth quivered._

"_Get her!" he barked. The girl from District Two whose name was Diana grabbed her by the neck._

_Annie screamed and pinched Diana's arm. Diana let go of her. She risked one more glance at her fallen partner and ran to the bushes—_

The screams. Oh, the screams. Annie was very, very wrong. Well, yes, sleep did protect her from the harsh reality of the world, but sleep did not protect her from her horrible nightmares. Annie forgot that fact, and she woke up screaming.


	6. VI: Brother

"_I dream of all sorts of things,  
>I dream about Elle and Drew,<br>But more often than not, I dream of you."_

* * *

><p>Finnick was resting on the couch when he heard Annie's shrill scream. He ran to her room immediately.<p>

Annie was on the bed, sitting up with her fingers plugged over her ears. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Finnick strode over to the bed, carefully removed her fingers from her ears and gripped her hands. "Annie, open your eyes," Finnick told her. Annie opened her eyes slowly. "You dreamt about Drew, didn't you?"

Annie nodded. "H-How did y-you know?" she whimpered.

Finnick shrugged. "I just know," he said, trying to keep his voice level. Finnick looked at the window behind Annie. It was still raining, but the storm let up. The ocean was a lot calmer, but it was the same murky color as two days ago.

Annie trembled, and started sobbing. Finnick rubbed her warm back in a feeble attempt to console her. She was still feverish, he realized. He stood up and got her a glass of warm water. He handed it to her, and Annie drank it quickly. She was very thirsty. After, she cried again, and the whole cycle started all over again.

It was understandable. Finnick knew the pain she was going through. He was experiencing it, too. On the day her district partner died, they both lost someone important to them. Annie lost a friend, and Finnick lost a brother.


	7. VII: Missed

"_Though I never said it out loud,  
><em>_Thank you, for saving my life at its end,  
><em>_And for being my best and only friend."_

* * *

><p>The storm had subsided completely, and Annie was back at home, safe and sound.<p>

She stared out the window. The voices in her head called out to her, making her want to scream. _Annie… Annie… it's your fault. You killed him. It's your fault that Drew is dead right now. _Annie shut her eyes, and willed them to go away. But, they didn't.

Somewhere in the distance, Annie heard her telephone ring. Bridging it, she reached out take the call. "H-H-Hello?" Annie hated herself for sounding so pathetic.

Finnick looked at her. "Annie, are you all right?" Annie's eyes snapped open. She'd forgotten he was there.

Annie felt a tingle as she nodded a bit. She covered the speaker on her phone as she said, "Y-Yeah, I'm fine." She also hated herself for lying to the person who just saved her life. Annie grimaced. Finnick mouthed, _I'll take it for you if you want._

Annie took a deep breath and nodded. Finnick stood up and plucked the phone from her hand. "Hello?" he asked. He nodded a few times. He laughed. "No, this isn't Annie's boyfriend. This is Finnick. Yes… okay. No. Yes. Alright, I'll tell her. Goodbye." He put it down. "It's from your sister." He raised an eyebrow. "You have a sister?"

"Yes," Annie said under her breath. "Her name is Elle."

"Elle." Finnick replied, savoring the word. He clicked his tongue.

"What did she say?" Annie asked breathlessly.

"She said she wants to visit you as soon as possible," Finnick said. "She misses you, Annie."


	8. VIII: Jealous

**Yeah... I'm really sorry about the poetry... If you have any suggestions that will help me improve, I'd love to hear them!**

* * *

><p>"<em>I sometimes wish I had him back,<br>But then I wouldn't have met you,  
>To be honest, I used to get torn between the two."<em>

* * *

><p>"Do you want me to go?" Finnick asked Annie, who shook her head.<p>

"She'd want to meet you," Annie said softly. Finnick shrugged; he wasn't so sure that Elle would want to meet him. Silence settled over them after that, which was broken a few minutes later when they heard a knock on the door. Finnick stood up to open it.

The sight of an auburn haired, green eyed girl greeted him. She was really small. "Hello," said the girl. Finnick guessed right away that she was Elle. "Is my sister there?" He was right, of course. "Could I come in, please?"

"Yeah." Finnick led her inside. "Sure." Elle stepped inside carefully, and upon seeing Annie made a beeline for her.

"Annie!" Elle sat down beside Annie. "I missed you! I don't know what Mom was thinking, taking me away from you. I'm so sorry! I don't know why I listened to her… I was so stupid…"

"Elle, it's okay," Annie said softly, just loud enough for Finnick to hear. "I missed you too."

While all this drama was unfolding, Finnick stood in the corner. He watched as Elle climbed into Annie's lap and embraced her. He longed for this to happen with his own sister. But death stood between them, separating them from each other. Finnick felt a pang, and a feeling he didn't recognize. He knew it belonged in the old world, along with the pre-Hunger Games Finnick, his brother and sister.

It took a while for Finnick to name this feeling, but he was pretty sure it was jealousy.


	9. IX: Nothing

"_I wish I said so earlier, but…  
>I felt something on that lovely day,<br>An alien feeling that I couldn't yet name."_

* * *

><p>"What's Elle's real name?" Finnick asked suddenly.<p>

Annie raised her eyebrow. "You don't think Elle could be a real name? Well, anyway, it's Mishelle. You know… Mishelle. Shelle. Elle. You know," Annie stammered. Finnick looked at her and laughed as they traipsed along the beach. Annie felt something flutter in her stomach that she cannot name.

"No, I don't." Finnick kicked the sand and sent grains of yellow flying. Annie giggled as the sand rained down on them. "Sorry. Here, I'll get them," Finnick said. Before Annie could reply, Finnick was already picking at her hair. "This is damn hard…" he muttered, but kept on going.

Annie was about to tell him that he didn't have to, that it was okay, that she would wash them off later. But she found herself actually _liking_ the feeling of Finnick's fingers in her hair. She decided to keep silent.

Annie blushed when she felt one of Finnick's nimble fingers brush her neck. "Annie?" Finnick asked her.

"Hmm?" Annie heard herself reply.

"No, it's nothing," Finnick said quickly. But somehow, Annie knew it wasn't nothing.


	10. X: Different

"_You were so different from the rest,  
>With you, you carried meaning,<br>And that was good enough for me."_

* * *

><p>Finnick liked Annie because she was unlike any woman he had ever met. She was… <em>different, <em>in a good way. She enjoyed watching sunsets, and staring at the stars—she took pleasure in the simplest things. Finnick knew why. Annie had been through so much and she knew just how quickly happiness could be torn away from someone.

"Finnick…" Annie said, not looking at him. "I just realized… I didn't really thank you yet. Thanks… for saving my life, I mean."

"You're welcome." Many women thanked him—for spending the night with them—but none of those women ever thanked him like this._ Another reason why Annie's different, _Finnick thought.

Finnick gazed at Annie—at her wavy dark hair and at her fair skin. _And when you come down to it, she's actually kind of… pretty, _Finnick mused. Annie turned to him, her sea-green eyes glittering in the moonlight. She blushed slightly.

Annie turned a deeper shade of pink under Finnick's gaze. "Please… don't look at me like that," Annie said softly. "I know I look like a mess."

"No, you look great," Finnick told her honestly, because she was his friend. And he was hers.

"Finnick? …Do you really mean it?" Annie's cheeks were a deep scarlet now.

Finnick paused and considered this for a moment. Did he really mean it? "Of course I mean it," Finnick replied.


	11. XI: Accident

"_I couldn't handle the truth,  
>But I knew you wouldn't lie to me,<br>At least, that's what I've been led to believe."_

* * *

><p>"I'll see you on Saturday. You'll visit me then, right? Cool," Elle had said over the phone.<p>

It was Saturday, and Annie was standing outside the door of her old house. She rang the doorbell. No one answered. _Maybe the doorbell's malfunctioning, _she thought. _It is pretty old after all. _Annie tried knocking, but again nobody answered. Where were her parents? Where was Elle?

Annie decided to wait on the porch for a while. She sat down on one of the chairs. After an hour or two of fiddling with her hair, picking at the scab on her thumb, and basically just waiting, Annie decided to leave.

When she got back to her house, Finnick was waiting on the couch, a grave expression on his face. "What is it?" Annie asked. She felt scared all of a sudden. Finnick opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. "Come on."

Finnick patted the space beside him. "I think you'll handle this better sitting down," he said. So she sat. Finnick turned to face her. "Annie, Elle's at the hospital," Finnick said slowly. "She got hit by a truck on her way back home from school yesterday." He paused. "She's in a coma, and the doctors say she won't make it."

_No, __this couldn't __have __happened, _Annie thought. This kind of thing wouldn't happen. Not to her sister, of all people. "You're lying."

Finnick reached out and grabbed her hand. Then, he said the ten words that convinced Annie otherwise: "But Annie, what would I gain from lying to you?"


	12. XII: Miracle

"_Though it may seem like it was vice versa,  
><em>_You took care of me at her deathbed,  
><em>_You gave me hope that miracles could happen."_

* * *

><p>When Finnick and Annie arrived, they were greeted by the sight of Annie's parents crying. Annie's mother staggered over to them. "S-She…" she blubbered. "Elle… she…" Marlene hiccupped. Finnick gripped Annie's wrist, as if to protect her from what Marlene was about to say.<p>

Annie turned a light shade of pink. "W-wh…" she started, but soon found herself unable to speak clearly, just like her mother.

Finnick turned to the doctor sitting on a stool beside Elle's bed. "How is she?" he asked.

The doctor, Doctor Rivers, looked troubled. "We're afraid she won't make it, Mr. Odair," she said. Finnick sighed. "But there's still a chance… a twenty percent chance, maybe… that she will live. We did all we could, Mr. Odair; all we could do right now is hope."

"Hope for what?" Finnick whispered. "A miracle?" She nodded.

Annie wriggled free from Finnick's grasp and ran to Elle's bed. The doctor stood up and offered her stool to Annie. "Thanks," Annie managed to get out after sitting down.

"You're welcome," Doctor Rivers replied. "I have to prepare for a surgery at three, anyway." Then, she left.

Finnick got another stool from the corner of the room, set it down near Annie and her stool, and sat down. "I can't believe this happened to her…" Annie muttered. She sounded like she was about to cry.

"She won't die," Finnick said. "I just know it." _More of 'I'm just hoping,' _Finnick thought.

"This is my f-fault." Annie was crying now. Finnick looked behind him. They were alone. "If… if only…"

"This isn't your fault," Finnick told her firmly just as he felt one of Annie's teardrops splatter his skin. Annie buried her head in her hands. "She's not going to die, Annie." But somehow, the more he said it, the more he found it to be untrue.

An hour later, both of them were still there, weeping. Annie wept for her sister. Finnick wept… for some reason. He didn't know why he was crying—he barely knew Elle. But it didn't matter. They were both weeping for a lost cause.

Or so they thought.

For just as they found that they had no tears left, Elle's eyes started to open.


	13. XIII: Persistence

"_I was afraid to admit it to her, to myself,  
>I was scared that my good luck would fade,<br>__That it would just be another story to say."_

* * *

><p>It'd only been a week since Elle was well enough to exit the hospital and go home. Annie couldn't believe it herself. <em>She should be resting, <em>was Annie's first thought when she saw her sister standing in the doorway. But no; Elle was up and about.

"Do you like him?" Elle asked once she was settled. Annie had a feeling in her chest that the 'him' she was talking about was Finnick. She couldn't name the feeling, but it felt somewhat like… hope. Not the I-hope-everything-will-get-better kind of hope, but more of the I-hope-she's-really-asking-me-that-because-I-really-want-to-answer-that-question kind of hope.

But Annie pretended anyway. "'Him'? Who are you talking about?"

She looked impatient. "You _know _who, Annie. Finnick. Finnick Odair. Do you like him?" Annie felt her cheeks burn and did not reply. "I mean, you're always hanging out with him. It just made me think that, you know… well, anyway. Do you?"

"Please tell me you aren't secretly a reporter working for one of those tabloid magazines in the Capitol," Annie hissed.

"I'm not!" Elle laughed. "I just want to know. I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, I promise."

"Why do you want to know?" Annie asked suspiciously. "And since when were you interested in my hopelessly inexistent love life?"

"Love life? Who said anything about a love life? I was asking you if you liked him as a _friend._" Elle giggled. "Okay, alright, I'll change it. You _love _him, don't you?"

"Finnick…? I… why are you asking me all this?" she asked, even though what she was thinking went more like, _you're not going to tell him, are you? _"A-and besides," she stammered, "it sounds more like _you'_ve got a crush on Finnick Odair."

"Okay, so _maybe _he's a little handsome." It was Elle's turn to flush. "But my point was, if you love him, you should tell him."

"No," Annie answered flatly. "I don't think he'll like me back. No. Just… no, okay?"

"Fine, if you're not going to tell him, I will." The doorbell rang, and Elle peered out the window to see who it was. "Oh, look, here he is."


	14. XIV: Conversation

"_You know, there's something about love…  
><em>_When you love someone, the last thing you want to do,  
><em>_Is hurt them with what hurt you, too."_

* * *

><p>"Annie?" Finnick knocked on Annie's bedroom door. "Please. Open the door."<p>

The door opened, revealing Annie, red as a tomato. "What?"

Finnick tried his best not to sigh. An angry/embarrassed/humiliated (or all of the above) Annie was not what he wanted to deal with at that moment. "There's something we need to talk about. It's really… important. Capitol-related." All the color drained from Annie's face.

"Capitol-related…?" she whispered. Her hands began to tremble. "F-Finnick… I…"

Suddenly, Finnick heard light footsteps. _Tap. Tap. Tap. _Finnick turned and saw the small shadow of Elle coming up the stairs."Hi, Finnick," Elle said. "Why are you here today?"

"I was getting to that. President Snow has a message for you, Annie." He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and slipped it into Annie's trembling hands. A blood-red rose was stuck to it; Finnick nearly gagged at the sickly sweet stench that emanated from it.

Annie nodded slowly. Finnick could see her eyes growing wider and wider as she read the letter. "Annie?" Elle said. "Are you all right? You're looking pale. What does he want from you?" When Annie ignored her, she tried to grab the letter and nearly ended up ripping it. "Hey, give me that!"

"Finnick… I…" Annie muttered, handing it to Elle. "I don't think I can…" _Handle it, _Finnick thought, finishing the sentence for her. He held Annie by the arm and brought her to her bed, where she passed out.

"I hope she's okay," Elle said upon Finnick's return.

"I hope so too. So what does it say?" Finnick asked.

"…Dear Ms. Cresta," Elle read aloud. "I'll get to the point," Elle said after reading some pointless paragraphs. "The citizens of the Capitol as well as the citizens of other districts are not aware of your… condition. So crazy or not, Ms. Cresta, the show must go on." Elle gulped. "What does this mean?"

"It means that… whether she likes it or not, Annie will have her Victory Tour," Finnick replied grimly.


	15. XV: Train

"_One reason why I fell on my knees,  
>Was because you cared for Mags, for me,<br>You kept your loved ones close to you, you see."_

* * *

><p>She sat cross-legged in her seat as Finnick walked back and forth. It was so annoying. He'd been at it for at least half an hour now. <em>Finnick, what the hell! <em>Annie wanted to snap at him, but she wouldn't speak. Actually, it's not that she _wouldn't_.

But rather, she _couldn't._

Fear had taken over and glued her mouth shut, and any word, any sentence that tried to make its way out would just fail. Dissipate. Evaporate. That feeling, it was so familiar to Annie. It was like history had repeated itself. And because history _did _repeat itself, Annie wasn't very surprised.

She was miserable, though, because when you stop talking, you start hearing things just a little bit better. Things, like, say… voices.

"Annie, do you want something to eat? I'll call an Avox—" Finnick said, looking uncomfortable for some reason. Annie shook her head. "You haven't eaten…" She shook her head again.

"Finnick, why don't you leave her alone?" said an old voice. It was Mags, the other mentor. Finnick's mentor. _Drew's _mentor.

"Mags?" Finnick said, confused. "What are you doing here? I thought Jordan was supposed to—"

"Replace me? Oh, yes. But he managed to get himself a fever; he's sick as a dog. Smart kid, you know, swimming… until one in the morning…" Mags said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Now I have to replace my _replacement. _How ironic is that? I'm _old_, Finnick. OLD." Annie could hear the fury, threaded in between her words.

She couldn't blame Mags; she would feel the same way. _Who likes going to Victory Tours, anyway?_

Finnick cursed under his breath. "Leave it to Jordan to screw everything up," he said. "I'm going to get a drink. I need some space." He stomped away.

Mags made her way towards the seat adjacent to Annie's. _What is he so mad about? _Annie wanted to ask. She could feel the words, trying to escape their prison. "I'm sorry about what happened," Mags said simply. And that was enough.

Annie stared at Mags's eyes, slightly grayed by age. The right word bubbled out of her mouth, as naturally as laughter would. "Why?"


	16. XVI: First

**A romance scene! Gosh, I'm sorry, I have absolutely NO experience with it... **

* * *

><p>"<em>There was no safe place for you and me,<br>__No place for me to love you,  
><em>_And none for me to have you."_

* * *

><p>Finnick strode over to the phone, declaring, "I need to make a call," though there was no one around to hear him.<p>

He punched the digits he knew by heart. "What the hell!" Finnick said once Jordan picked up. "Jordan, you inconsiderate little—" But he didn't get to finish his string of curses, because Jordan had hung up. What a jerk. Finnick sighed and closed his eyes.

He put the phone down carefully, remembering the last time Jordan had gotten himself sick in time for the Victory Tour. Like a school boy in trouble with the principal, he'd been called into Snow's office. For breaking. The. Damn. Phone.

He heard the door open. "Finnick?" Annie's small voice crept into his ears. "Are you… are you okay?"

"Annie." Though he never admitted it out loud, Finnick loved that word. That name. _Annie. _He loved the way the A bled into the N, and how the rest of it just came naturally. But most of all, he loved what the name reminded him of. Annie, his best friend. The girl standing behind him.

He could feel Annie coming closer. "I brought you some coffee," she said softly. Finnick turned around. He took the mug from her cupped hands and placed it on the table.

Finnick wrapped his arms around her. "Annie." He breathed in the scent of her hair. "You're all right."

Annie hugged him back. Finnick's heart leapt. "Mags helped me. And I guess, in a way, you helped me too." Finnick stroked her neck with his thumb. Her skin was silk to his touch. Finnick smiled and pushed back a little, so he and Annie were face to face.

He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She tasted like salt, like water. Like District Four. Like Annie.

It felt so wrong. Yet so _right. _

After a few seconds, Annie pulled away. A smile played on her lips, then faded. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "That was my first kiss."

Finnick smiled back. "That was my first real one."


	17. XVII: Advice

**This one's kind of a long chapter. I hope you like it, though! **

* * *

><p>"<em>I was so, so, so selfish,<br>__I didn't know about what they did to you,  
><em>_I didn't know that they hurt you, too."_

* * *

><p>"You like him?" Mags asked Annie after a few exchanges. Annie blushed and shook her head vigorously. "Sweetheart, it's nothing to be embarrassed about! It's obvious, really." Annie's eyes widened. <em>Had it really been <em>that _obvious?_

_Why should I deny it? _Annie thought. _It's pointless, anyway. I'll never have him, no matter how hard I try. _"How'd you know?" Annie whispered, keeping her gaze fixed to the doorway.

"Like I said, it's obvious." Mags smiled mischievously. Something sparkled in her eyes that made her look younger. "Ah… young love." She picked up an apple from the fruit basket and took a bite from it. "I can see why… I've known Finnick for quite long. He's a good guy. And I can see he cares about you."

"Really?" Annie murmured. She fiddled with a stray lock of hair.

"Yes, though he doesn't really talk about it. His actions show it all. How much time does he spend with you each day?" Mags grinned. Annie paused to think. She was so used to his presence that she didn't really count.

"I don't really count." She began to feel uncomfortable. How long would this take?

"That's because he's always with you," Mags said simply. "I'd call him in his house to ask him to pick up some supplies for me—and he wouldn't be there. Then when he would finally call me back, I'd be well asleep!" Mags chuckled. "After what happened to you, he wouldn't let you out of his sight!"

_After what happened to me, _Annie thought. _She makes it sound like it's not my fault. _

"Why?" Annie asked.

"Simply put, he likes you!" Mags put her hand on Annie's shoulder.

"…That was fast… I'm not exactly a likable person…" she muttered.

"Oh, that's what you think! He really needed a change of pace," Mags said, lowering her voice, "from all those women in the Capitol. He had no _real _contact with women, until you came along; you were different from them. You didn't dabble in shallow things like fashion and all those useless shenanigans!"

"Wait… women in the Capitol? So, Finnick's a…" _How come I never knew about this? _

"So," Mags said, as if Annie hadn't said anything at all, "after that, he just couldn't resist." Mags grabbed a mug on the table and poured coffee into it. "And that, my dear, is the mystery behind Finnick explained."

"I don't understand…" Annie replied.

"Well, you know who would be the best person to ask?" Mags handed the mug to her. "Finnick himself."

Annie stared at the coffee. It swirled around the mug strangely, like a prophecy waiting to be told. "I don't drink coffee, but thanks."

"Oh, it's not for you." Mags laughed. Annie looked up and suddenly, she understood. She stood up and headed over to the door. "You go do that, Annie."


	18. XVIII: Best

**It's been an eternity but I hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

><p>"<em>It wasn't so complicated,<br>__Everything spread out completely—  
><em>In our words and in the spaces between them."<em>_

* * *

><p>Finnick sat down beside Annie on her bed. "Annie," he began. "Please don't cry."<p>

Annie turned to him. Her eyes were swollen, rimmed with what happened and what will never happen. "Finnick," she mumbled. She leaned against him, and he let her cry until only screams racked her body, until all the tears ran dry. "Finnick."

"Finnick," Annie whispered. "Finnick, I'm scared. I'm scared that any minute now, I'll wake up from this nightmarish fantasy."

Sometimes, Annie just said things that would leave Finnick speechless. Nightmarish fantasy. Maybe, any second now, he would wake up too.

"Annie, you're not dreaming." Finnick brushed Annie's hair away from her face. "You can't be." Her sea-green eyes stared at him, waiting. Perhaps that was what life was: waiting for something that would come sooner or later, depending on how lucky you were. "If you were… well, dreams are always a whole lot better than reality, aren't they?" Even Finnick knew that wasn't true. Sometimes, dreams were a lot worse.

"Not always," Annie said quietly. "Sometimes, they're both so bad that I don't know where to run to." Before Finnick could say anything, she brought her finger to his lips. "Finnick, I love you." He wove his callused fingers through her hand. Their hands fit perfectly, like they were made to complete each other.

Finnick swallowed and opened his mouth. Immediately, he wished he hadn't. The words tumbled out. "I love you, Annie." He sighed. "I'm sorry. But we can't…"

"It's all right. I understand." She sighed, too. "It was a great dream, wasn't it?"

"The best."


End file.
